Congratulations to Glassel Hall who has been nominated in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2025. Vote now! It’s going to be another great night at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards on Saturday 6th December in Aberdeen Music Hall. Why not join us for a brilliant night of music and awards. Buy a ticket here.
We asked Bryony of Glassel Hall the following questions.
Tell us about yourself
Glassel is a community hall in rural Aberdeenshire, and next year will mark 25 years of Glassel Gigs hosting traditional folk music concerts there.
The gigs are run by a team of volunteers and are self sustaining – the Gigs support the Hall and vice versa.
Even though we’re almost totally “analogue” … using email to contact our mailing list is as high-tech as our digital presence gets …it works, and we regularly host artists who sell out two consecutive nights at Glassel – on a couple of occasions we’ve had artists who’ve performed two gigs in a day!
Its an honour for us to be nominated for this award, but especially so with the ceremony being staged in Aberdeen, making it essentially a local event for us this year!
Why are you involved in Scottish music?
The answer to this question has evolved over a lifetime and literally through the ages!
We’ve all been brought up with Scottish music, and its been so rewarding helping to build a community of people who share a love of trad music … the concerts we host regularly connect so many people who wouldn’t otherwise even meet.
We know through talking to our audiences that staging our gigs at Glassel Hall has inspired people to explore the wider trad music world and attend gigs at other venues and festivals, in Scotland and farther afield.
“In sic turbulent times wi stresses and hassle
There’s muckle need for Live Music at Glassel!”
Any particular career highlights?
We’re proud that we’ve built our loyal and lovely audience.
We feel that Glassel Hall is a venue that artists want to return to – there’s a magical atmosphere created at Glassel that we think is unique; the welcome that the audience gives to performers is immediate and warm – the connection that artists are able to form with audiences is palpable here – that each gig sells out so quickly has become a particular source of pride for us.
The feedback that we get can be overwhelming – this quote is amongst so many treasured memories of time at Glassel and perhaps sharing it says what we can’t:
“as we backtrack our way south towards different ports of departure, towards home, a moment to reflect on two dreamy days and nights tucked away in the back country, Glassel Village Hall.
We’ll carry you on our skin for days to come and in our hearts forever. You weaved us into the most magic spell with your welcome, your kindness, and your love. You are templars of music, whatever progress governments/AI can throw at the creative arts to diminish it/us, live music, on nights like these in Glassel will transcend the sorry lot of them.
We may not laugh so hearteningly or eat so well for a long long time.”
What are your plans for the future?
Next year we will have been hosting trad concerts at Glassel for 25 years. We’re hoping to mark this milestone, and then … well, then we just hud gyan!
Glassel Hall Social Media
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The 2025 MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards are on the 6th December 2025 in Aberdeen Music Hall! You will be able to watch it live in person (buy a ticket here). Watch it live in the UK at 9pm (GMT) on BBC ALBA and and around the world here. Hosted by Scottish personalities Alistair Heather and Mary Ann Kennedy, the night in the Granite City will also welcome live performances from some of the brightest lights on the thriving trad scene today including beloved singer Hannah Rarity, UK folk legends The Poozies, trad pop band Mec Lir and BBC Radio scotland Young Traditional Musician and Scots Performer o the Year Ellie Beaton and many more!
If you would like to support Hands Up for Trad in their work with Scottish trad music and musicians why not become a friend of Hands Up for Trad. In addition to our high profile events like the Scots Trad Music Awards, we also deliver a less well known, education programme for young people from 8yrs right through to young adults at the start of their careers. Read more here.